The Caribbean’s hottest music festival has added more big names to its 2020 agenda. 

The St Kitts Music Festival, now in its 24th year, has added Gladys Knight, Beres Hammond and Anthony B to the slate of performers for the June 25-27 event. 

“We are excited to have secured such an outstanding group of artists to perform in this year’s St. Kitts Music Festival,” said St Kitts Tourism Minister Lindsay Grant. “”Our strategy is to grow the festival every year in a way that will appeal to both local and international audiences, therefore creating the right mix of performers is critical to our success. This particular selection of veteran and emerging talent is certain to draw music lovers from from all of our key source markets as well as from our Federation, thereby providing direct benefit to our citizens and economy.”

The festival has become a major driver of tourism traffic to the island, particularly in the summer months, according to Racquel Brown, CEO of the St Kitts Tourism Authority. 

“For the past two years in a row, we have broken air passenger arrivals records for the month of June and hotels have been sold out for the dates surrounding music festival,” Brown said in a statement. “To keep this momentum going, we have developed comprehensive integrated marketing programs to specifically target those individuals who are most likely to attend this event, which has become a key driver of tourism in early summer.”

The group includes performers like Chronixx, Jimmy Cliff and the new reggae star Koffee, who took home this year’s Best Reggae Album Grammy. 

“With such a wide range of talent and musical styles represented on stage again this year, we want to be a model for other music festivals throughout the region,” said Damion Hobson, Chairman of the St. Kitts Music Festival. “Our festival is one of the longest-established music festivals in the Caribbean and we aim to keep it as a premier choice for music-loving travelers and locals alike.”

For more, visit the St Kitts Music Festival.

The post Gladys Knight, Beres Hammond Join St Kitts Music Festival appeared first on Caribbean Journal.

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Spirit Airlines Continuing Caribbean Expansion in St Croix

Spirit Airlines is continuing its rapid growth push in the Caribbean with plans for new daily nonstop flights to the island of St Croix. 

The low-cost carrier has revealed plans to launch daily nonstop flight service from Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport to Henry E. Rohlsen Airport in St Croix, beginning June 10. 

That means an additional four flights each week from Fort Lauderdale to St Croix; Spirit is currently operating three flights to St Croix every week, with service on Sundays, Tuesdays and Thursdays. 

It’s another significant boost for St Croix, the USVI’s largest island and a destination that just launched a brand-new tourism identity. 

The move by Spirit Airlines comes as St Croix will soon see newly-expanded daily service on American Airlines from Miami, also beginning in June.

The new airlift to St Croix is well-timed for the relaunch of two of the island’s major hotels: the Divi Carina Bay and Marriott’s Renaissance St Croix Carambola, both of which are reopening ahead of the next winter season. 

Spirit, which is developing a major new headquarters near Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood Airport, has been steadily building up its Caribbean flight network out of the area. 

“Florida is very important to Spirit Airlines, and we are going to keep growing in the state we call home,” said John Kirby, Vice President of Network Planning for Spirit, in a statement. “As the only major airline headquartered in the Sunshine State, Spirit Airlines continues to add new destinations and more non-stop service to meet the needs of Florida’s growing economy.”

Spirit Airlines’ Caribbean growth, which has also included a large expansion push in Orlando, means the carrier has actually eclipsed JetBlue in the number of available seats to the wider Caribbean region, according to the company.

Indeed, Spirit now serves 28 destinations in the Latin America-Caribbean region. 

— CJ

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St Croix, the US Virgin Islands’ largest island, is getting a new tourism identity. 

USVI tourism officials have launched a full-fledged rebranding of St Croix, with a new push aimed at educating travelers on the unique features of the island. 

The USVI is calling it “St Croix: A Vibe Like No Other,” and, more importantly, it’s a new approach for the USVI — giving each of the islands in the territory a unique brand. 

“We believe that St. Croix is going to be the big new attraction for tourism in the Caribbean,” said United States Virgin Islands Commissioner of Tourism Joseph Boschulte, who said the people, cuisine, history and culture of the destination, coupled with its laid-back vibe, will help position St. Croix as a “go-to” Caribbean destination throughout a new marketing campaign.

“Through the eyes, art and expertise of Crucians we can present the breadth and depth of experiences the island has to offer. Through chefs, mixologists, musicians, tour guides, artisans and other professionals we will explore the Crucian vibe,” Boschulte. “I am excited to roll out our marketing strategy to position St Croix as a destination with its own identity and one whose tourism potential is limitless.”

The rebranding comes as St Croix is in the midst of a tourism renaissance, from new hotels like The Fred in Frederiksted to reimagined historic properties like Company House in Christiansted and what is one of the hottest culinary scenes in the Caribbean. 

Indeed, St Croix saw a 7.9 percent increase in tourist arrivals in 2019 compared to the previous year, the commissioner said. 

This year the island is poised for more growth, with two of its major resorts set to reopen for the first time since Hurricane Maria. 

That includes the all-inclusive Divi Carina Bay and the Renaissance St Croix Carambola Beach Resort (which is opening this year, according to Marriott).

“After the hurricanes of 2017, impacted islands saw major dips in arrivals with reduced accommodations inventory,” said Boschulte, who was speaking at a briefing at the recent CHTA Caribbean Travel Marketplace conference in Nassau. “However, two years later, airline capacity on St. Croix is actually ahead of pre-storm levels; with continued hard work and focus, we expect that trend to continue.”

That includes a third American Airlines daily flight set to launch from Miami in June.

The news also comes as St Croix was recently named the number one destination to visit in the Caribbean in 2020 in Caribbean Journal. 

“We like what St Croix has to offer,” Boschulte said. 

The post How the USVI Is Rebranding St Croix appeared first on Caribbean Journal.

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Hilton’s Harbor Club resort in Saint Lucia has named a new executive chef. 

The waterfront hotel, which is part of Hilton’s Curio Collection, has tapped Cristian Rebolledo to the role. 

The Harbor Club has also named Rebolledo as its new director of food and beverage.

“Chef Rebolledo’s diverse culinary background makes him especially suited to oversee the four different restaurants we have here at The Harbor Club, especially the newly opened 14North,” said Lester Scott, General Manager of the hotel. “We’re excited for our guests to experience the finesse of Chef Rebolledo’s culinary expertise and the new culinary creations he will bring to the table.”

Rebolledo, a native of Chile, was most recently at the Turks and Caicos Collection in Providenciales, where he led food and beverage operations for three properties: Beach House, Alexandra and Blue Haven. 

— CJ

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